1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vehicle safety apparatus and, in particular, relates to an apparatus including an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, such as an air bag, for helping to protect a vehicle occupant.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to inflate an air bag to help protect a vehicle occupant in the event of an impact to a vehicle of a magnitude above a predetermined threshold. The air bag is stored in a deflated condition, together with an inflator, in a portion of the vehicle such as the instrument panel or a vehicle seat, for example. In the event of an impact to the vehicle of a magnitude above the predetermined threshold, the inflator is actuated, and the air bag is inflated into a position between the vehicle occupant and the adjacent structure of the vehicle.
It is known to use one or more tethers in an air bag to control the inflation of the air bag. A tether typically is sewn between and extends between two spaced apart portions of the air bag to control the shape of the air bag when inflated.